Is it possible to make film in Houston? Last week, I attended the Texas Film Commission at the Rice University Media Center, for an informational meeting with Bob Hudgins, director of the Commission. Unfortunately, I left the meeting feeling discouraged. According to Mr. Hudgins, Houston is considered an underutilized area for film, which I find to be a sad thing because it is home to excellent screenwriters, cinematographers, music composers, editors, and actors. The Commission wants to give incentive payments of 7.5%, 12.5%, and 17.5%; however, to earn, for example, a 7.5% bonus, one has to spend, in state, between $250K and $1M—and the numbers go up from there! I think the solution for now is to lower the total qualifying in-state spending to as low as $25,000, so that the filmmaking industry in Houston can be stimulated and fully utilized.